Centre Philosophy
Our Vision
(What the future looks like to us)
Our Mission
(What we are here to do)
Our Method
Provide
Safety
Our top priority, safety, is the most basic of comforts where we are free to be ourselves, to feel, to want, to explore and enquire. Safety is a crucial aspect for children in shaping their emotional and social experiences. Without safety, children’s sense of exploration and curiosity may be hampered. When a person feels SAFE they can learn, they can express themselves, they can create, they can explore and take measured risks. This is where the magic happens, without SAFE it’s just survival.
Promote
Connection
Each child grows with and within their circle of trusted “big people” and their peers. It is through the seeking, making and honouring connections a child grows. Children especially learn about their values by reflecting and imitating the importance others place on things like time, attention, effort, kindness, honesty and particularly the value placed on their needs and feelings. A child learns about themselves from their interactions with the group, the importance of a warm welcome and acknowledging a child’s presence upon arrival. Highlighting the value of connection is paramount. The more intimate the setting the more precious the moment. It is crucial too, that we extend connection to families, that they feel, witness, and discover how deep our dedication, love and effort extends into the lives of their children.
Foster
Curiosity
The state where we are constantly wondering, learning and growing. There is no done, only doing. When we are curious we are striving for a better understanding, we are open to the arrival of new ideas, we are not afraid to be challenged, we welcome different opinions and beliefs and we routinely examine our own. We strive to provide a setting where a child’s curiosity is fostered, their interests and enquiries are valued and supported.
Empower
Them
Children are born with enormous potential, our environment and experiences gradually convert potential to capability as we grow. A child who sees themselves as capable, interacts with the world in positive ways, they seek and seize opportunity, challenges appear as potential for growth rather than threats to our being, we approach life with vigor and confidence. With a strong sense of capability we have a better view of the world, we are more likely to try new things and shake off disappointment. Our interactions with others are more successful because we are confident in our ability to contribute, we relate with openness in place of guardedness, as equals. As educators we strive to grow a child’s sense of inner capability. We trust them, believe in them, speak with them as though their expressions, opinions and even their presence is meaningful, because it is. We seek, support and encourage children to participate and try new things. We use a variety of methods and forms to draw their attention to evidence of their capability and success. We look for open ended activities, ask open ended questions, create environments which promote divergent thinking and invite a child to interact in whatever way they can. Children express themselves and interact with their environment in an unlimited number of ways, each of them as valuable as another. As educators we avoid applying confines on success, instead we look at the intention of the child.